Ferry up and running

The Merv Hardie ferry was scheduled to start up again on Sunday after a longer than usual outage. The ice crossing closed on April 11, one week earlier than average.

Earl Blacklock, spokesperson for the department of transportation, said concerns about water levels did not come to fruition when the department released an advisory warning residents the ferry might be late starting. However, a later advisory stated the ferry would not become operational until Sunday due to mechanical issues.

"That doesn't mean that we won't have shutdowns due to water levels later, but we are going to be able to get going and clear up some of the fuel and food freight," said Blacklock.

He said last year, the ferry started on May 5, earlier than the five- and 10-year averages which are May 13.

- Katherine Hudson

Hay River ratepayers to meet

The Hay River Ratepayers Association, which was registered as a society last year, will hold its first annual general meeting on May 26.

The meeting will see the election of the group's first executive and the adoption of bylaws. The association held a public meeting on Dec. 12 of last year and about 35 people turned out with a long list of complaints against their municipal government on issues including taxation, consultation and bylaws.

- Paul Bickford

Grand opening scheduled

The new 60th Parallel Visitors Centre at the NWT/Alberta border on Highway 1 will celebrate its grand opening on June 2.

The larger and more modern facility actually opened for visitors last year, but final touches are being added. This year, it reopened on May 13 at the start of the NWT parks season.

The centre provides information on experiences and activities in all NWT communities.

- Paul Bickford

Bear warning

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is advising the public to take extra caution when travelling or camping in bear country. With temperatures rising and snow melting, black bears and grizzlies are beginning to come out of hibernation.

According to ENR's bear safety webpage, campers should look for traps or droppings before setting up their site and are advised to avoid locations where vegetation or terrain might limit your view.

Food should be stored about 200 metres away from where you sleep and should be kept in airtight containers like coolers, plastic pails with lids or heavy plastic bags.

- Nathalie Heiberg-Harrison

Fishing galore

Ulukhaktok/Holman

It's almost time for the annual fishing derby in Ulukhaktok, but recreation co-ordinator Joanne Ogina said the special events committee has yet to determine the exact dates of the community event.

"We've yet to meet and plan that," she said, adding it might be scheduled for the Victoria Day long weekend, but it's not set in stone.

The Easter long weekend, however, brought out community members to test their skills in preparation for the big derby.

As part of the Easter celebrations organized by the recreation department, Ogina said community members dropped their lines into ice holes to catch their entry for the fishing contest.

Winners of the event, held at Okpilik Lake, were Corrie Joss, Margaret Kanayok and Kate Inuktalkik.

The three winners were awarded gift certificates for gas and to the Co-op, said Ogina.

- Andrew Livingstone

Seniors to run visitor centre

Hay River

The Hay River Seniors' Society will assume responsibility this tourism season for operating the town's Visitor Information Centre.

Ross deBoer, the town's recreation director, reported to council on May 9 a meeting has been held with the seniors' society on the issue.

"We'll enter into a management agreement with them," deBoer said.

The recreation director said the seniors will be in the Visitor Information Centre at the beginning of this week to prepare for the May long weekend.

In recent years, the Visitor Information Centre had been operated by the Hay River Chamber of Commerce.

Last tourism season, the chamber received $39,967 in town funding, but it unsuccessfully requested $55,000 in this year's municipal budget.

As council was concluding its budget deliberations in January, it received a letter from the Chamber of Commerce stating it could not continue to run the Visitor Information Centre without the increased funding.

- Paul Bickford

Fire season underway

NWT

Fire season is currently underway in the territory and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is reminding residents to be cautious with fire when out on the land.

Fire season in the NWT runs from May 1 until Sept. 30 and the territorial government is working with communities to develop protection plans for communities.

The Community Wildland Fire Protection Plans are designed to "identify and reduce wildland fire risk in communities" and "are becoming a national standard for agencies and communities responsible for wildland fire management," the government's forest fire website stated.

The plan is centred around reducing home-owner and community risk to losses during a wildfire. For more information, go to

www.nwtfire.com.

- Andrew Livingstone

Out on the land

Tuktoyaktuk

It was an on the land experience for students in Grade 8 to 12 at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk late last month and into the first week of May.

Principal Agnes Cudmore said students were broken into two groups and each group spent a week out on the land with gym teacher Greg Reardon and a couple of community elders.

"They went around Husky Lakes," said Cudmore, adding the smaller groups going out made it a more enjoyable trip for the students.

From ice fishing to muskrat trapping, Cudmore said the students participated in a number of cultural activities - including ptarmigan hunting.

"They experienced quite a bit with the wildlife," she said.

The time on the land was a good practice run for students who will be heading out on the land this week during spring break for the annual geese hunt.

Cudmore said many students will be heading out on the land to help their families capture their share of geese.

"A lot of the families are out getting their camps set up for the hunt," she said.

Spring break at Mangilaluk School is the latest spring break - running from May 16 to 20 - for any school in the territory specifically for the geese hunt.

- Andrew Livingstone

Muskox draw

Sahtu

The draw for the five muskox tags allotted for the Sahtu region will be held May 26.

An applicant will be selected for each of the five tags, along with an alternate for that tag if the person selected decides they don't want to take advantage of it.

All tags given out will be available for use from Aug. 1 until April 15, 2012.

For more information please contract the Sahtu Environment and Natural Resources office in Norman Wells.

- Andrew Livingstone

Dental travels

Lli Goline/Norman Wells

Those looking to get long overdue dental work done will have the chance over the next month as Western Arctic Dental from Inuvik will be in Norman Wells.

The dentist will be in the town on May 18, May 28 and 29 and June 9 and 10 each day from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

- Andrew Livingstone

Cash, hash seized

IQALUIT

RCMP in Iqaluit caught a man with $79,000 in cash and a small amount of hashish when he was travelling from Yellowknife to Iqaluit on May 4.

A British Columbia man has been charged with laundering the proceeds of crime, possession of property obtained by crime and possession of a controlled substance. The man appeared at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit and was released. His next court appearance will be in September.

Working with artists

Kugluktuk

Stephen Novak, the economic development officer in Kugluktuk, is working to get funds from the Government of Nunavut's Arts and Crafts Development fund to help pay for two projects benefiting working artists in the community.

"I'm working with a few groups of ladies here to do some arts and crafts workshops and working with some carvers to possibly do a little trip out on the land for them to mark and harvest some carving stone and get them some tools," said Novak.

Having a local supply of carving stone will help them to diversify their supply of materials beyond what's available at the community's grocery stores, he added.

"There's something about having the traditional Inuit carving that was made with stone that carvers went and harvested themselves - it lends a lot of authenticity to it."

Phone book recycling

IQALUIT

Until the end of the month, NorthwesTel is asking Iqaluimmiut to recycle their old phone books to help area students.

Five schools in Iqaluit - Ecole des Trois Soleils, Inuksuk High School, Joamie School, Nakasuk School and Nanook School - are participating in an inaugural phone book recycling program. Depending on the number of books collected, the schools will receive cash awards for programs and activities.

If two or more books are collected per student, the school will get $750, $500 will be given for 1.25 books per student and $200 if one book per student is collected. Books can be dropped off at any of the schools until May 23.

Spring fling

Kimmirut/Lake Harbour

April 20 was Qaqqalik School's spring fling.

"It was a nice way to celebrate the coming of spring," said principal Chris Wright.

He said the elders put up a tent and served fresh bannock and hot chocolate.

On the harbour ice there was outdoor snow soccer, three-legged races and harpoon throwing for the older students.

The last activity for the day, which was the most popular, was the tug of war.

"All the primary/elementary got on one end and beat the teachers. We got our revenge against the junior and senior high students," he said.

- Emily Ridlington

Short courses during last 20 days of school

Kinngait/Cape Dorset

Final exams for some courses at Peter Pitseolak School are scheduled for May 12 and 13, and the last 20 days of school will start May 16.

This means high school students, along with some in junior high, will be able to take one-credit short courses, said vice-principal Mike Soares. He added a semester course is three or five credits.

"We're running short courses in the school. A lot of the students are looking forward to that," he said.

"This is a way to pick up some extra credits and to do some short stuff, such as keyboarding, first aid, cooking, adolescent health, law."

Junior high students will be involved in the short courses to a lesser degree than their counterparts in Grades 10 to 12, said Soares, but some will be able to carry over the credit into high school.

"The good news about them is they're short and that makes them popular. It's a chance for students to investigate topic areas that are not normally covered in regular curriculum," he said.

The short courses will run during the full 20 days.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Long weekend fishing derby ahead

Ikpiarjuk/Arctic Bay

Get out your best gear and fishing techniques as the Hamlet of Arctic Bay is organizing its annual fishing derby from May 20 to 23.

"We've got prizes for the biggest fish," said senior administrative officer Joeli Qamanirq.

He said cash prizes are up for grabs and the age categories will be divided into 15 years old and younger and 16 years old and up.

Fishing will take place at six locations.

- Emily Ridlington

Dissecting a seal

Kugluktuk/Coppermine

A number of students at Kugluktuk High School will be dissecting a seal they caught on May 6, said the principal.

Marvin McKay-Keenan said seven Grades 10 to 12 students, along with five staff, caught a seal outside the community on May 6, an animal they will cut up and dissect on May 9 before cooking some of the meat outside.

"There's a biology component to it - the parts of the body, in this case a seal body," he said. "It's also a cultural thing. Seal meat is a traditional food. Also, it's a great way to take advantage of the sunny spring weather we've been getting lately and Friday (May 6) was a great day for being on the land."

The seal was not shot but caught with a hook, said McKay-Keenan.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Winnipeg students donate to birthing centre

Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet

The Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre received some new supplies courtesy of a school program in Manitoba this past week.

A group of four Grade 12 students from Winnipeg's Garden City Collegiate made the trip to Rankin with psychologist Chantal Wiebe and teacher Nikki Dirks to deliver

receiving blankets and sleepers to the birthing centre.

The group's visit combined a social justice issue - bringing blankets to a community in need of them - with a family studies project that allowed the students to accumulate their volunteer placement credit hours. And the students learned to sew

the receiving blankets themselves.

"It was actually a former manager of Kivalliq Air in Winnipeg who suggested the Rankin Inlet Birthing Centre to us because it also serves a number of other communities around it," said Wiebe.

"So we agreed the supplies would, probably, go a lot further if we brought them to Rankin."

The students had heard so much about the cost of food in the North they visited a local store to compare prices to what they pay in Winnipeg.

"It was an eye-opener to see the cost of many items here," said Wiebe. "We were just looking, but paying $12 for four litres of milk seems awful high to us."

Wiebe said the whole idea behind the effort is to build relationships.

"We received several grants to come here, so we have to prepare a number of reports on the project.

"We've never been this far North, so there's the educational aspect of what it's like to live in a community like this compared to Winnipeg and what the needs are here. So, really, our goal is to educate the students we have about other communities than just their own."

- Darrell Greer

Activities for cultural day

Taloyoak/Spence Bay

Netsilik School students participated in various activities for cultural day on May 6.

Principal Gina Pizzo said during the event, held annually in the first week of May, students rotated among about 20 different Inuit activities.

"They always look forward to it. It's a fun day and they had nice weather as well, so it was a real nice day," she said.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Parenting program wraps up until fall

Mittimatalik/Pond Inlet

The Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program in the community has wrapped up for another year.

Community wellness co-ordinator Meeka Atagootak had been running the program at the

Nattinnak Visitor Centre until March 24. Funding for the program ran out on March 31. It will be starting again in September.

Parents brought their children to learn such things as to how to cook healthy meals, parenting strategies and lifestyle skills.

- Emily Ridlington

Derby time

Kangiqliniq/Rankin Inlet

The Hamlet of Rankin Inlet has announced its annual fishing derby will be held from May 20 to 23.

There is a 50-mile boundary in place for this year's derby.

Cash prizes will be given out for the 10 largest fish in both the trout and cod categories. Sponsored prizes will also be available, as will prizes for the biggest fish caught by kids 13 years of age and younger.

Measuring will take place on May 24 at the community hall beginning at 1:30 p.m.

- Darrell Greer

Kite-skiing siblings near Kugaaruk

Nunavut

Brother-sister duo Eric and Sarah McNair-Landry of Iqaluit were near Kugaaruk on Day 54 of their 75-day trek across the Northwest Passage, stated their blog on May 11.

The siblings embarked on an estimated 75-day kite-skiing journey across the Northwest Passage when they left Tuktoyaktuk, NWT on March 19. Their destination is Pond Inlet, a 3,000 kilometre trip.

The blog entry stated the duo had travelled 16.5 kilometres on May 11 and 34.8 kilometres the day before. Bad ice conditions and open water had forced them south from their original route, but they are still following one of several Northwest Passage routes.

"The winds and terrain have been unfavourable to kiting the last couple of days, so we ski south into head winds towards the small hamlet of Kugaaruk," stated Sarah on the blog.

- Jeanne Gagnon

Cigarette started fire: officials

Iqaluit

An improperly discarded cigarette started a fire at an Iqaluit apartment building early this month, said the director of emergency and protective services.

The Iqaluit Fire Department battled an early-morning blaze on May 3 at 309C, a apartment building in Iqaluit. The fire had started in a first floor apartment and spread into the hallway and other units. Chris Wilson said one of the tenants told investigators he had been smoking and discarded a cigarette too close to a mattress on the floor, igniting it. Wilson added damages, including the structure and contents, are estimated at $85,000.

The investigation is closed, said Wilson.

- Jeanne Gagnon